Black markets flourish when the system is broken. That's the story of college basketball, a sordid tale now threatening the viability of a treasured American spectacle.

How can we believe in the majesty of March Madness when the entire tournament might be vacated in the near future? And if the tentacles of corruption have compromised the best programs in college basketball, how can the sport even stage its beloved NCAA Tournament in a few weeks?

In October, Miller said he was "devastated to learn of the allegations made against Emanuel Richardson," a top assistant who accepted cash bribes in a pay-for-play scheme, according to charges filed by the FBI. Miller said he had worked to the best of his ability to reinforce a culture of rules compliance at Arizona. He fooled some of the smartest people in the industry, including Jay Bilas, who initially defended Miller when the scandal first broke in October.

"I know Sean Miller to be a man of great honesty and integrity," Bilas said. "I don't believe for a second he knew of any improper behavior."

Bilas has since turned on Miller. On Friday, the ESPN analyst said, "I can't imagine him ever coaching again." Dick Vitale echoed similar comments. And unless this is some kind of egregious blunder from the FBI, Miller will join Rick Pitino in the Hall of Shame, the former coach fired for his role in the current scandal, forcing Louisville to vacate its 2013 championship.

Except Pitino is 65 and at the end of his career. Miller is 49 and in his prime, a man who never took his team to a Final Four. And probably never will.

There are so many heavy questions. Who was funding the improper payments in Tucson? Or has the proliferation of salaries in college basketball made it economically feasible for a head coach to pay recruits out of his own pocket? After all, Miller earns $2.6 million a season, and a $100,000 gift to a player like Ayton might be a shrewd investment in the coach's future. And where is Greg Byrne in all of this?

The school had to pay Rodriguez $6.28 million on his way out of town, while the details of Miller's impending termination are even more baffling. The coach's contract calls for a reported $5.15 million payment if he is fired without cause. But he receives $10.3 million if fired with cause, which almost looks like protection for Miller if he's caught cheating.

That's not to say Byrne is complicit on any level. But what did he know of Rodriguez's increasingly erratic behavior or the corruption infiltrating his basketball franchise, one currently mocked as "The Payer's Program?" It's only clear that Byrne left at the perfect time, where he just celebrated a national championship in football as athletic director at Alabama.

Finally, how do Arizona State fans reconcile the latest developments? Ayton was the driving force behind both victories against the Sun Devils, a player they could not stop. If Arizona is forced to vacate all victories with Ayton, does it erase ASU's losses as well?

The charges against Miller also changed the national conversation. When names began to drop from a widespread FBI investigation, there seemed to be a collective yawn among casual fans. There was a list of players alleged to receive moderate amounts of money. There was a $2,700 payment to Josh Jackson's mother, before the Suns' rookie enrolled at Kansas.

They were nickel-and-dime details that prompted many to mock the FBI for not paying more attention to violent criminals. It illuminated the hypocrisy of the NCAA, which generates billions of dollars while refusing to pay the players who make it all happen.

But $100,000 is big money to be throwing around under the table. It allows programs that cheat to skew the balance of competition. It generates resentment and resignation among those who play by the rules. It's no different than the Steroid Era in baseball, where the dirty gained more than a significant advantage on the playing field. They pressured the honest competitors to go down the same dark alley.

So, who's next? What's the solution? How can universities subscribe to a higher calling, building the leaders of tomorrow while selling their souls to corrupt coaches? And in a worst-case scenario, could the NCAA scrub the sport clean before its pinnacle event? Would it dare stage March Madness without its best teams and best talent, a move that would alienate its television partners, the networks that make them rich?

Answers are forthcoming. We'll see if the NCAA can trade its righteous indignation for real courage.